History, Reality, and Challenges: Bounded Dynamic Relations Between the Gulf Arab States and Taiwan Region

ABSRTRACT The relations between Taiwan region and the Gulf Arab States are twisting and subtle. The UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971 and the suspension of the official relation between Taiwan and Saudi Arabia in 1990 generally divided the relations into three general periods. Because of Taiwan’s sensitive role and the ‘One China Policy,’ the relationship has been constrained, especially after 1990. However, the relationship is still dynamic in the field of trade, civil exchanges, technology transfer, and industrial cooperation. Since the DPP came to power in Taiwan in 2016, the cross-strait relation has reached its lowest point since the Chen Shui-bian era, and the relationship between Taiwan and the Gulf Arab states has encountered new challenges given PRC has been pursuing this region as a strategic fulcrum. Meanwhile, the strategic contraction of the US in the Middle East will bring more uncertainty.